


Bet Your Bottom Dollar That Tomorrow There'll Be Sun

by Korema



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings
Genre: -chanting- rarepair hours rarepair hours, Ana is a good friend, Lloyd Is A Soft Boy, M/M, Ninten Is A Soft Boy, Post-Canon, Rare Pairings, aka ninten and ana, and sometimes teddy when he's around, havent decided yet lol, lloyd protection squad, teddy may or may not be around in the fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Korema/pseuds/Korema
Summary: Ninten tries to help Lloyd come out of his shell.He accidentally falls in love instead.Whoops.
Relationships: Ana & Lloyd & Ninten (Mother 1), Lloyd/Ninten (Mother 1)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Ninten unlocked the door to the rooftop and put the key back in his pocket. He had been looking for Lloyd for an hour now, had frantically called Ana to ask if she had seen him. Ana had told him to calm down, that he was probably just setting off rockets somewhere. So Ninten had checked all of his favorite launching spots -- the cliffs north of Podunk, the area in and around the Pilgrim's Rocky Mountain, the little oasis of the Yucca Desert. Lloyd wasn't there, wasn't launching rockets. 

Instead, he was sitting down in a trash can on the rooftop of Twinkle Elementary. He looked up when he heard a familiar coughing and puffing as Ninten pulled out his inhaler. The lid of the garbage can rose slowly but surely.

"Ninten, are you alright?"

"Lloyd-" Ninten paused to put away his inhaler, then continued. "You're the one hiding inside of a trash can; are  _ you _ alright?"

Lloyd smiled, but his eyes were shining with tears. "Don't worry about me, Ninten. I just....I just like it here."   
  
Ninten sighed. "For someone as smart as you are, you're a really bad liar."   
  
"No, it's true. I—I like coming up here. My classmates can't get up here, so I know I won't get yelled at unless the janitor's in a bad mood."   
  
Ninten sat down next to the garbage bin. "Was it your classmates, then?"

Lloyd remained silent.

Ninten pulled off the lid. "Lloyd, you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you."

"They were calling me names again--saying that I'm a loser, that I rely on my tools because I'm not strong enough to do things myself...." He was slowly sinking back into the trash can.

Ninten pulled him up before that could happen. "Lloyd, you aren't any of those things."

Lloyd looked down at his shoes, buried in the mess of trashed soda cans and tea bags at the bottom of the can. "Then, Ninten, what am I? I can't even attack that well, I don't have cool PSI powers like you and Ana, I'm--"

Ninten hugged the boy tightly. 

"My best friend. You're my best friend."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -tosses gay at you- happy pride

"Ring around the rosies!"

Lloyd was already getting nervous.

"Pocketful of posies!"

Was he holding Ninten's hand too tight? That was definitely too tight. Too close. Oh no. And he was definitely sweating too much for a silly game like Ring Around the Rosies. His hands were shaking. And too tight around Ninten's. And too close, too close. Too much pressure, too many thoughts, too much at once. All this flashed through his mind in an instant, for quick-wittedness is both a blessing and a curse. 

"Ashes, ashes—huh?" Ana glanced at Lloyd, who had let go of Ninten's hand. "Lloyd, I didn't say 'fall down' yet, there's still another line to go!"

"I–I got nervous." Lloyd let go of Ana's hand and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"About falling down? Don't worry, I'm not gonna push you or anything!"

Lloyd took Ana's hand again, but hesitated to take Ninten's. The other boy chuckled. "Don't worry, Lloyd, I haven't touched any wild animals today!" He paused. "I mean, there was that frog on the way here...."

Ana gave a loud gasp and dropped Ninten's hand. "You touched a frog and didn't wash your hands?"

"....and I also pet my dog, but--"

"You touched a frog AND a dog and didn't wash your hands!?"

Ninten laughed. "Ana, I don't think-"

"No way, nuh-uh, you need to go wash your hands before you play Ring Around the Rosies, that's Rule 1!" She crossed her arms and gave the boy a stern look.

"I thought Rule 1 was—"

"House Rule 1!"

He groaned and threw his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll wash my hands." He headed for the men's room. Ana sat down on the sofa, and Lloyd followed suit. Slowly and shakily, the boy put his hand on hers.

"Ana, c-can I tell you something?"

Ana turned to look at Lloyd. The boy was fidgeting with his sleeves, but looking her in the eyes -- something he didn't normally do. _He's getting a little bit more confident every day._ Ana thought this with a smile. "What's up, Lloyd?"

There was a long silence.

She didn't break the silence, didn't rush him. Clearly, whatever he was about to bring up made him nervous. And so, for a minute or two, the silence grew. It got louder and louder. Deafening silence filled the room. And, finally, it grew to a point where it could no longer maintain itself, and Lloyd broke it. 

"I....I never had any friends before you guys. Ninten was the first person to....to talk to me without looking down on me. He....when he talks to me, he talks like if we were equals. He--he doesn't make fun of me, even when I mess stuff up. And he's always so upbeat, and when he smiles, I--Ana, I--I have a crush on Ninten. Is--is that weird? It's weird, isn't it? You probably think I'm weird now. He probably thinks I'm weird, too. Just forget I said--"

Ana put her arm around the boy. "You're not being weird, Lloyd, and I'm sure Ninten doesn't think you're weird either." She smiled. "Is that why you got so nervous? Because he-"

"Because he! He! Him! Because him! He's just....he's so brave, and cool, and nice, and--"

"Lloyd."

"Y-Yeah?"

"I know it took a lot of courage to talk about it at all, and I'm really proud that you were able to gather up that courage. But I really think you should talk to him about it."

"Talk to him about it!? I--I can barely talk to you about it, and--and if I tell him, he's not gonna want to hang out anymore, and-"

"Lloyd!" She grabbed both his shoulders and spoke with a serious tone. "You need to stop doubting yourself! Whatever happens, he's still gonna stick around, and so will I, because that's what friends are for!"

"Ana--"

"You can do this! I'm rooting for you!"

Lloyd fell silent. After a few moments, he looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Ana."

She smiled back. Before she could respond, however, Ninten ran out of the bathroom. "Sorry for the wait! The sinks were all broken, so I washed my hands in the toilet!"

Ana threw her hat at him.


End file.
